Certified life coach gives advice about managing life transitions, health and wellness, divorce and living a happy and fulfilled life.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

How To Quietly Rage Against Ageism (And Grow Older Gracefully)

The running community is awesome.
You make friends training, racing, or out for a casual jog. We’re all equal. If
you can keep up with the group, you’re in. Age, ethnicity, and gender are irrelevant.

Or so I thought.

Not long ago, I ran a 10K — far from my first.
The race was a combined 5K and 10K. If you’ve never run one of those, as you
might guess, there’s a point at which the 5K and 10K groups divide.

As I approached the split, the specter of ageism first appeared.

I could see and hear — despite my no doubt
rapidly declining faculties — a guy yelling out the split: 5Ks to the
left, 10Ks to the right. He repeated 5K slightly more insistently and pointed
left as I approached. Hmm.

Then I got closer, and, since my cognitive
abilities are still relatively intact, or at least I like to think so, I was
already on the right. And another guy actually repeated, more loudly as I got
to the split, "5K, 5K, 5K!" urgent gesticulation left, urgent
gesticulation left, urgent gesticulation left.

Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I’m pretty sure he was convinced I
looked too old for the 10K.